UN warns of executions, mass rape as Congo conflict escalates

The conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has intensified, triggering a surge in human rights abuses, including summary executions, the bombing of displacement camps, and widespread sexual violence, the UN human rights office (OHCHR) warned on Friday.

The escalation comes amid renewed fighting between Congolese forces and the Rwandan-backed M23 rebel group, further destabilizing the volatile region. Both sides have blamed each other for the violence.

Between Jan. 26 and 28, at least 12 people were summarily executed by M23 fighters, while Congolese troops and allied Wazalendo militias were implicated in new cases of sexual violence, OHCHR reported.

Congo’s communications minister and an M23 spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

With M23 forces advancing after seizing the key city of Goma this week, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk called for an immediate end to the violence and urged all parties to uphold international human rights law, his spokesperson Jeremy Laurence said.

Sexual violence has long been used as a weapon of war in eastern Congo, worsening an already dire crisis. OHCHR is investigating reports that 52 women were raped by Congolese troops in South Kivu, including allegations of gang rape.

Meanwhile, Congolese officials reported that at least 165 women were raped during a prison break at Goma’s Muzenze prison on Jan. 27, when M23 launched its assault on the city of two million people.

Commissioner Turk warned that the latest escalation risks exacerbating conflict-related sexual violence.

Despite a 2014 government action plan to curb sexual violence in the military, impunity remains widespread. Hundreds of commanders pledged to report such crimes, but accountability has been limited.

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